Why is Free Fire Banned in India? – A Complete Detail

Garena’s Free Fire is a top-class online battle royale game with millions of users worldwide. It not only offers an unmatched gameplay experience with top-notch graphics and features but also provides excellent customer support. The developers regularly organize exciting in-game events, matches, and tournaments with huge prizes to keep the game engaging and ensure players remain entertained.

Although Garena Free Fire has a diverse global player base, a significant portion of its users came from India. The game was one of the most popular in its category in India and had a strong presence in the Indian gaming community. The gaming world was shocked when Garena Free Fire was banned in India in February 2022.

While the Government of India did not provide clear reasons for the ban, there were numerous speculations within the Indian and international gaming communities about the possible causes. If you cannot access the official game, consider joining the FF Advance Server APK as an alternative.

In this article we discuss the details of the ban imposed on the Garena Free Fire by the Government of India in February 2022.

Overview of the Ban

It is well known that India and China have had a long-standing diplomatic rift. Given the nature of relations between the two countries, the Government of India wanted to ensure the security of its cyberspace. To do so, the government decided to ban all apps linked to China in any way. The goal was to improve the country’s cybersecurity and ensure that Indian user data did not end up in China.

As part of this effort, the Government of India released a list of 54 apps that were banned, and Garena Free Fire was one of them. However, one thing that was difficult to understand was that the list did not include Free Fire Max, an upgraded version of Garena Free Fire by the same company.

Grounds of the Ban

The 54 apps banned in India by the Government were allegedly linked to China. The Government of India banned Garena Free Fire under Section 16A of the Information Technology Act (ITA), citing reasons related to national security. The parent company of Free Fire, Sea Limited, is headquartered in Singapore. The company’s CEO was born in China but later moved to Singapore and now holds Singaporean nationality. Due to the Chinese connection, the Government of India believed the company was providing Indian user data to China.

BGMI KRAFTON vs Garena Case

Another reason for the ban that circulated in gaming circles around the world was the BGMI KRAFTON vs Garena Free Fire case. KRAFTON, the company behind Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), sued Garena Free Fire in an Indian court. KRAFTON accused Garena Free Fire of plagiarism. They also accused YouTube of allowing content and streams that were plagiarized from BGMI by Free Fire.

Steps by the Developers in Response to the Ban

The ban in India had a severe impact on Garena Free Fire, which had around 40 million active users in the country. Following the ban, the company faced significant losses. As a result, the Government of Singapore raised the issue with the Government of India on a diplomatic level. Determined to return to India, the company began addressing the concerns of the Indian government. It acquired servers from Hiranandani India to assure the Indian government that Indian user data would not be stored on Chinese servers. The company also developed an India-specific version of the game called Free Fire India.

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Recap – Why Free Fire Is Banned In India

In February 2022, the Government of India released a list of 54 apps, which included Garena Free Fire. The ban was imposed under Section 16A of the ITA, citing national security concerns. The reasons for the ban included links to China and the potential compromise of Indian user data. Garena has worked to address the concerns of the Indian government and has launched an India-specific version of the game with Indian servers, called Free Fire India.